They Can's Be Serious...

Drunken Amish teen crashes
horse and buggy while
trying to escape police.

They can’t be serious…can they? There is all this talk about the Republicans plan to continue the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, do away with the estate tax, repeal health care, stop cap and trade, and other things that can only have very deleterious effects on the economy. At the same time they are insisting the tax cuts be continued they are opposed to extending unemployment benefits to workers. I should think this is a rather suicidal plan if they really want to gain much in the coming elections. Indeed, I should think this would be obvious even to Republicans. So can they really be serious, and if so, what does that mean? If they are not serious I cannot see why they would be doing this, and if they are serious I have to doubt their strategy. It is already known what the Reagan tax cuts did to markedly increase our deficit. There is no evidence whatsoever that tax cuts for the wealthy importantly stimulate the economy, and it is certainly not the case that they “pay for themselves.” The claim that tax cuts have no effect on the economy or the deficit is simply ridiculous and already proven to be false. Why, then, do they continue to promote such a nonsensical argument. I have to conclude that either they are appallingly ignorant, or mind-bogglingly stupid. How can they continue to believe in what even George Bush, Sr. said was “voodoo economics,” after the massive data we now have to prove that’s exactly what “trickle-down” Reaganism economic policy amounts to? I don’t like to think (actually I do kind of like to think it) that all these high level Republicans are really that ignorant or stupid, or both, but it is hard to conclude otherwise. But as Bush somehow managed to get these obscene tax cuts for the wealthy passed in the first place perhaps they know something about American voters that I don’t.

It is not hard to understand why they oppose extending unemployment benefits, they want to ruin the economy to bring down Obama, and with that selfish and evil goal in mind they don’t care what happens to the country or the ordinary citizens that make it up (I personally believe this to be nearly treasonous). It is not easy, however, to understand their obsession with tax cuts for the wealthy. I know, of course, that tax cuts have always been an obsession with Republicans, and I know they have always favored business over labor, but as we now know tax cuts for the wealthy don’t work why do they continue to promote this false doctrine? Even if they actually believe it (which implies they are incredibly ignorant or stupid) you would think they would have enough sense to realize it is not a selling point with the electorate in general. I cannot see how this could possibly help them win back control of the House or the Senate, or later on even the Presidency. It seems to me they might actually have some kind of death wish, but what do I know?

It seems to be the case that at least in some important circles the goal in Afghanistan is now simply to get out. Gone are any delusions about winning anything, trying to rebuild the country, capturing hearts and minds, or any of that previous gobbeldy-gook, now it is clear we are desperate to get out. Our getting out seems to hinge on Pakistan and what they will agree to do, as they need Afghanistan to help counterbalance their perennial problems with India. I do not profess to understand this very well but I gather it is true. We apparently are merely waiting for the fat woman to sing.

It appears that the Rubio candidate in Florida believes he can sell his imbecilic proposals on tax cuts to the voters there simply by arguing they must be right because Rachel Maddow says they are wrong. Now there’s a cogent argument that I’m certain will win him lots of votes, especially among those voters who have probably never even heard of Rachel Maddow. How is it possible that Republicans just keep getting sillier by the day?

LKBIQ:
If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.
Dorothy Parker

TILT:
Hummingbird Hawk Moths can hover over flowers and feed on nectar and are often confused with hummingbirds.